Former youth worker launches Jordanhill First Class Learning tuition franchise

First Class Learning (FCL) specialises in maths and English and is currently the UK’s fastest growing tuition business with over 300 centres nationwide

Louise Bowden has launched a new tuition business in a bid to help young people excel in education. The former youth worker, who is from the Jordanhill area of Glasgow, started her business back in February 2022 and ran her first class the following month.

Louise was inspired to change her career during lockdown when she saw how much help the majority of children would need to restore their confidence and self-belief.

“After researching some other options, I decided to go with First Class Learning for a number of reasons,” said Louise. “Following the school curriculum was the biggest positive for me but also having paper-based, daily work is very important for building up study skills, subject knowledge and confidence. 

“I really like the structure of the programmes and being able to offer an individualised progression route for each student.”

Louise managed to fund her business through savings but also got a business start-up loan for the initial franchise costs.

“With previous tutoring experience I decided I wanted to combine my existing knowledge with learning new skills,” she added. “I have never run my own business before, so taking on a franchise with structured learning programmes allows me to focus more on the students rather than worrying about preparing materials.”

The initial training provided Louise with “good insight into the programmes and what is involved in running the franchise”. 

She could also benefit from a mentor as well as a support group, which is available online for all centre managers across the UK.

Talking about the business, Louise added: “I think COVID-19 created fear and uncertainty amongst our young people, the First Class Learning programmes help to build confidence with a little and often approach. All children and young people are different so we can’t take a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to learning. 

“The FCL programmes let us help families bridge gaps that have been missed in their child’s educational journey and from that solid foundation we can start to build upon their knowledge and skills while helping individuals gain confidence and instil a joy for learning.”

And going forward? “My plans for the future include growing my centre to help many more children and young people over the coming years,” said Louise. “As the centre grows, I’ll be able to extend the opening hours making the FCL programmes more accessible.”